With Anthony Harding returning from injury last year, he, alongside his diving partner Jack Laugher, competed at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships, coming away with Silver in the Men’s Synchronised 3m event and qualifying GB diving a quota spot at the Paris Olympic Games this year. Anthony made his Olympic debut in Paris this summer representing Team GB, and he competed alongside his synchro partner Jack at the Paris Aquatics Centre, winning Bronze in the 3m Springboard event. This year has seen huge success for Anthony, becoming champion alongside Jack at the British Championships and the World Cup in Berlin, and in Montreal, the duo won Silver for their competition, and Anthony won another Silver in the Mixed Team with Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix, Tom Daley and Yasmin Harper. For Anthony’s first big senior competition, he competed alongside Jack at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, where they came away with the Gold medal for Team England, and he has trained at the City of Leeds Diving Club for 14 years. The next competition for Anthony will be the British National Cup in January, and he is targeting the Diving World Championships in Singapore next year, with his long-term goal being the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. We spoke to Anthony about making his Olympic debut for Team GB diving at Paris 2024, winning Olympic Bronze alongside his synchro partner Jack Laugher in the 3m Springboard, becoming champion at the British Championships and World Cup in Berlin this year and being the Commonwealth champion at his Commonwealth Games debut in Birmingham.
How did you find the experience being part of Team GB’s diving team at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games this summer for your Olympic debut?
Going to my first Olympics and being part of the Olympic diving team was already a massive achievement for me as I missed out on the team in Tokyo and getting the few spots available to go for Team GB is very difficult. I found the whole experience life-changing, from becoming an Olympian, meeting my sporting idols and making lifetime memories with friends and family – I will never forget my time in Paris, it was truly iconic and lived up to all my expectations and more. This priceless experience and journey up to this Olympic Games has developed me into the person I am today which I can proudly take forward into the next four years leading to LA and beyond.
What was it like competing in the Men’s Synchronised 3m Springboard event (with your diving partner Jack Laugher) at the Paris Aquatics Centre and how did you stay focused during the competition?
Nothing can prepare you for that day, having a straight final, you know all your hopes and dreams were going to be over in just one hour of competing. Having the competition in the morning was difficult for me, getting up early in the morning to train and perform the world’s hardest dives at 11am is already hard enough, alongside the pressure of needing to execute them perfectly to even have a chance of an Olympic medal. I was well aware that it was all a mental game and that I had put myself in the best shape possible, with whatever happened that was the best I could have done.
My training right before my event was terrible, I remember getting out the pool trying to psych myself up for the biggest competition of my life and stop my medal chances from slipping away. All the hard work, preparation and experience me and my coaches had done leading up to this competition was a massive factor in me being able to mentally handle that moment, having 100 cameras in front of you and a billboard size Olympic rings behind you when standing on the board was nothing short of frightening, that’s not to mention the 5,000 fans in the stadium that consists of hundreds of reporters and commentators telling the world what you were about to do. You have a chance to write history and with all this going through my mind, I was able to stay absolutely calm by being very hyperfocused in each one of my dives, I couldn’t even look at Jack. I like to have as minimal distractions as possible to be able to focus on exactly what I needed to do.
As I got to my fifth dive, our hardest dive of the competition, one I have struggled with for years, at this moment it was really make or break for our competition. Nothing else mattered to me but executing that dive as well as I could and I knew I would be nailed on to be on the podium. I executed that dive the best I had ever done in both training and competition, still to this day when rewatching that dive, it gives me goosebumps. In the moment, I remember wanting to scream with relief and excitement that I had just nailed the hardest dive in the world at the Olympics! But I still had one more dive left to go and nothing had been achieved yet.
Me, Jack and my coaches had made the decision before the Olympics that we would leave our best and most confident dive until the end, and right before this dive, all I can remember was trying to focus on landing on the end of the board with two feet and then I’d be an Olympic medallist. That whole moment and final dive was such a blur – I can only really remember climbing out of the pool and celebrating with Jack, not knowing how either of us had done the dive, we just both knew that we had done it. That particular dive was the second highest scoring dive of the whole competition, which put mine and Jack’s names on the podium and created history for diving Team GB having the most medals at a single Olympics.
How did you feel collecting your Bronze medal and standing on the Olympic podium?
To be honest, I nearly fainted. It was very overwhelming to be on the podium achieving everything I have been working towards for the last 18 years. It was such a good feeling knowing all the hard work paid off, not just my own personal effort, but to all those that have supported me on my journey. Seeing my friends and family in tears watching me collect my medal is a memory I will have forever.
What was it like staying in the athletes village and how was it attending the Olympics closing ceremony?
The Olympic village is so special and has a very unique atmosphere around it that is hard to explain but it’s so inspiring. Having 10,000 athletes living together, training and competing for the same goal is something special and is something you can’t feel unless you are there. I had a massive opportunity to compete at the Youth Olympic Games in 2018 and this gave me flashbacks to the amazing time I had there.
In May, you and Jack became the 2024 British champions in the Men’s Synchronised 3m Springboard, what are the British Diving Championships like to compete at and how was it winning Gold this year ahead of the Paris Games?
The British Diving Championships are very competitive in the men’s springboard events and have pushed me to be a better diver in the individual event but it is still very difficult to make the Olympic team. The opportunity with Jack allowed me to focus on the synchro event so that we could qualify our names in that event in Paris.
Can you tell us about some of the World Cups you’ve competed at this year, which have included Berlin where you won Gold in the 3m Synchronised with Jack, and Montreal where you won Silver, again with Jack in the 3m Synchronised, and in the Mixed Team event with Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix, Tom Daley and Yasmin Harper?
The World Cup series events are great as you can compare yourself to the other competitors that you are likely to be against at the Olympics. Both Montreal and Berlin competitions were in the morning, which are very difficult for me but were very good practice for the Olympic Games knowing that my event would start at 11am in Paris. The team event is a nice event that you can enjoy more as a team and have a bit of fun with. It was still very nervous for me as I didn’t want to let down Tom, Andrea and Yasmin.
What was it like representing Team GB at the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka last year and how was it winning Silver with Jack and qualifying Great Britain a quota spot for the Olympics this summer?
2023 was a really tough year for me having an injury at the start of it that put me a step back on where I needed to be and being able to keep up with Jack. We both knew it was important to get that quota spot as early as we could so we could focus for the Olympics Games. It was the first time I really had something on the line to gain (outside of the immediate competition) and coming back from injury, with all that added pressure… I was very happy and proud to get back to back World Silvers and qualify Team GB a spot at the Olympics in that event.
You won Gold at the Commonwealth Games in 2022, how was it becoming Commonwealth champion alongside Jack in front of a home crowd in Birmingham for Team England?
Very nerve-racking, it was a feeling I have never felt before going into a big competition and being favourites to win the event. Having the home crowd was an incredible experience and to bring home the Gold with Jack was so special and something I will never forget standing on the podium having thousands of fans cheering.
What are some of your favourite memories from competing in Birmingham and making your Commonwealth debut?
It was amazing to have my family and friends in the crowd watching me at my first big competition and, more specifically, I recall spotting them in the crowd whilst standing on the podium.
What do you enjoy most about being involved with diving and representing Team GB at major international competitions around the world?
It has been an incredible journey representing GB at the age of 15 at Junior Europeans to 24 at the Olympics. Every competition has helped me gain so much experience that helped me on the biggest stage of all. Being part of the diving team is so special as it’s a very small team of athletes so it does feel like you are all family, which makes it so much more enjoyable. The British diving team is one of the strongest in the world and knowing I compete for Britain is something I am extremely proud of, it’s great being at competitions and knowing I’m good enough to be there.
Where does your love of diving come from and how did you get into it?
I got into diving at a very young age and was petrified to try it. Thankfully, my first coach helped me feel welcomed and as soon as I jumped off 3m – I fell in love with the sport. The satisfaction after a good dive, even in training, is what helps me train for as long as I have.
Can you tell us about training at City of Leeds Diving Club and what does a typical training day look like for you?
I have been training at Leeds for 14 years and it really does feel like my home, the facilities and coaching are world class which, without it, I wouldn’t be an Olympic medallist. A typical day would be similar to a 9-to-5 job but training 9am-11am and 1pm-4pm having a nice break in between sessions to relax and recover.
How do you like to spend your free time?
The lifestyle of an elite athlete is difficult to have the quality time outside the sport whilst being ready and rested for the training ahead. Finding that balance is key and the things I enjoy outside of diving are playing video games, watching other sports like darts, football, F1, tennis and more.
Have you been given any advice over your diving career so far that has stuck with you?
I have had an incredible support team around me that has helped me perform the best I can, at the right moments. An old coach told me “your mum will always love you” and “champions do more” – both have stuck with me ever since and I use these to keep me going through hard training sessions and competitions.
Do you have any competitions coming up that you can tell us about or that you are targeting?
My first competition after the Games will be the British National Cup at the end of January 2025 to qualify for the Diving World Cup series that year. My target for next year is to be back on the podium in Singapore for the Diving World Championships.
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